Archive for May, 2017

I made a huge mistake last month, whilst backing my pickup out of the drive I accidentally drove over my sons nitro rc car, I guess we were both to blame as he shouldnt have left it on the drive and walked away, and I should have looked before reversing because its not the first time a toy has been obliterated by a 2 ton pickup truck. Anyway before the situation got out of hand I said I would replace the car and put it down to experience. Had I known how much it had cost I might not have been so quick to suggest it.

My sons nitro car was a top of the range Traxxas Revo that had been upgraded with loads of trick items, just like a real car, it had extra horsepower, a tuned exhaust and suspension upgrades for a start. When the list was done and I saw how much I would have to spend I started looking to save a few bucks. Can you not salvage any of that from the old car? No was the reply.

I was looking at a bill for 570, not small change. I thought for a while and it occurred to me that this might be covered under our household insurance accident policy, sure enough after a call to the insurance broker it was confirmed, someone would be sent to see the car and we would get a cheque. Great. So I was happy, my son was happy to be getting a brand new car and my wife was furious for the expected hike in our insurance policy.

My son started to look online for a good deal for his new car and as many upgrades or hopups that he could get.

I am no stranger when it comes to cars; I have my own truck a HPI savage X, which is pretty expensive too. So I paid attention to how he was upgrading his car, and got a little jealous that my car was still factory-standard. When my son had finished building and tweaking his car we took it out on the dirt for a test drive. He still had to break the car and engine in so it would only be a taster of how well the car would perform. It didnt disappoint. My son is at the stage where he could build a complete car from scratch and have it tuned and ready to run in a few days, which is quite an achievement considering how many parts are involved.

Think of how many teens just sit around and play driving games without any understanding of a car and its set up.

And a quality nitro rc car is about the same price as a Playstation or Nintendo but a nitro car can become a passion not an addiction. Do your teenager a favour, get them out of the 2 dimensional world of television and into the real world, they will thank you for it later.

Wikinews on Sunday interviewed Deepa Malik, India’s first female Paralympic medalist, who won the silver medal in the Women’s Shot Put F53 event finals, at the 2016 Summer Paralympics being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Malik lost the gold medal to Bahrain’s Fatema Nedham, who had the best throw 4.76 metres, setting a new regional record in paralympic women’s shot put.

Arriving in Rio, Malik had initial trouble due to the airline losing her luggage; it didn’t all arrive until three days later: clothes, opening ceremony outfit and equipment including competition belts.

In early August there was a possibly that Malik might lose her spot on the Indian team going to Rio, with fellow female para athlete Karam Jyoti challenging Malik’s selection and the Sport’s Authority of Indian’s selection process at the High Court of Delhi. The high court ruled against the plaintiff.

Both of these events occurred against the wider backdrop of the Paralympic Committee of India being suspended by the International Paralympic Committee. The Sports Authority of India took final authority over the Paralympic Committee of India for sending a team to Rio, with agreement from the International Paralympic Committee; this arrangement allowed India to compete under their own flag at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

((Wikinews)) Congratulations on your result.

Deepa Malik: Thank you so much.

((WN)) Even though you are currently waiting in terms of the end result of the protest.

DM: Absolutely, but I’m happy with my performance, I’m happy that I could improve and I could prove myself, there were a lot of questions back home on my selection and on my hard work. My single-minded focus that I had put into this journey of being a Paralympian. Well, I am just so anxious about the results.

((WN)) So how much did the court case and KLM losing your luggage impact on your preparations and your result today?

DM: Yes, but I’m happy that my husband was my coach here, and, so, I had huge moral support in terms of keeping my mind and everything in peace. Most of the equipment was available in the gym, we had to alter the training a bit like the throw days couldn’t happen, so we instead exercised. No, I think that is what sports teaches you, you can’t live on excuses, I never lived on excuses.

((WN)) You work around things.

DM: Yes, that’s what we do, that’s what a sportsman is suppose to do, rise again, and then fall and rise, and run, and I did exactly that.

((WN)) What message should other Indian women take away from your participation and result in Rio?

DM: This is going to be the first female medal that India would have ever won in Paralympics and as it is I’m working aggressively towards transforming this entire concept of empowerment for the women, especially the women in disabilities in my country. So I’m really happy that this medal give my voice more value, more strength, and I’ll be able to impact even more, though on the ninth of September the Prime Minister’s jury has awarded me with the award of Women Transforming India, I’m so happy that within three days of getting that award, I have added another feather to it and proved that yes this journey of ability beyond disability. And not just disability, this is a universal message that if women put their minds to their dreams they can balance it; age, gender, disability, is all a state of mind. If you put your passion and hard work, you can get it, and in the Indian scenario were they say infrastructure is a challenge, women participation that are taboo, religiously and psychologically, disabilities taken as a curse, dependability[?] increases because of lack of infrastructure, well, time to get rid of the excuses. We have to start erasing the excuses and believe your own self and that’s the message I’m carrying with all the activities that I do whether it is car rallying, motorbiking or swimming across a river, every record or every unique activity that I’ve undertaken and just below paralysis has been aimed at changing the stereotypical image of a women and also a women in disability. ?

((WN)) Will you and your daughter both be trying to represent India at the 2020 Games in Tokyo?

DM: I’m very sure about myself, but my daughter, though, she’s a Paralympian, yes, which again was considered a huge taboo in my society that oh my god both the mother and the daughter both have a physical disability, what is going to happen to these two, but we did good and she is working as a youth council representative in the Commonwealth countries, for the Paralympics specially, and her work though her foundation called Wheeling Happiness has earned her the young leader award from the Queen of England, so I guess her focus is now shifting to more on community service and empowering others and not just herself. And she is leaving on first of October to Loughborough to do her PhD doctorate programme in disability sports psychology, I’m very sure Loughborough is going to give her a huge amount of sports [inaudible] but how much time she going to decide to devote to sports and studies is her decision entirely. That’s her dream, her journey.

((WN)) How helpful was the Sports Authority of India in preparing and supporting your Rio ambitions??

DM: I think 100 per cent, because the biggest challenge we have back home is a customised training, or the infrastructure for that matter, so we were given the ability and the funds to train the way we wanted to train, and the funds were huge which were given to us, out accommodation, food, diet, physical therapist, psychologist, trainer, gym, everything was paid for, and customised, you want it and they give it. So I guess this was easy financially this time, because every expenses was taken care of, my husband could also take a sabbatical from his job and join my journey, and having him twenty-four seven and coaching me because he himself is an athlete, and have the best diet and counselling. I think it’s worked wonders, so I give shout out and a huge applaud.

((WN)) How important was it for you to have a carer in Rio?

DM: Yes, again we really have to appreciate the sports authority of India and also Paralympic Committee of India, which is going to start to function post-Rio in India. They were very very quick, they were very very adamant in giving the wheelchair people escorts. And I need help twenty four seven, I’m just below paralysed so it was really huge, emotionally, mentally, psychically training-wise, every way I think the situation was perfect.

Friday, a song by US teen singer Rebecca Black, has gone viral after the song’s music video was uploaded onto video sharing website YouTube. The video has attracted over thirty-five million views since its February 10 upload — and critics think it could be the world’s worst.

I want to meet her. Anyone who can create this much controversy within a week, I want to meet. I love people like that.

Ark Music Factory produced the song and video, using US$2,000 (£1,223, C$1,964, €1,412) from Black’s mother. Friday’s video was shot at Black’s father’s house, with her family and friends as extras. The song beat an alternative track when choosing what to record.

The single is climbing up the iTunes singles chart in the United Kingdom and the United States, gaining a higher position in the US than Canadian singer Justin Bieber.

Despite the song’s popularity, it has received a largely negative reception. According to Newsbeat, critics have cited Friday as being “the worst song of all time.” On YouTube, the video attracted approximately thirty-six thousand ‘likes’ versus over 314,000 ‘dislikes’. The song itself has been ridiculed for its lyrics and criticised for its use of Auto-Tune.

Feeling “like [she was] being cyber-bullied,” Rebecca Black said “[w]hen I first saw all these nasty comments I thought this is all my fault, … this was all because of me.” Black says of “[t]hose hurtful comments”, the worst was “I hope you cut yourself and I hope you get an eating disorder so you look pretty. I hope you cut and die.” Clarence Jey, of Ark Music Factory, offered to take the video off YouTube, but Black declined.

In contrast, British music executive Simon Cowell has expressed a positive interest in Rebecca Black. “I love her and the fact she’s gotten so much publicity,” Cowell commented. “People are so upset about the song, but I think it’s hysterical. I want to meet her. Anyone who can create this much controversy within a week, I want to meet. I love people like that.”

Rebecca Black herself wants to record a duet with Justin Bieber. “I have Bieber fever — I am in love with Justin Bieber,” Black commented. The teenager said it “would be unbelievable and make my life”.

Italian security officer Nicola Calipari has been killed, and Giuliana Sgrena as well as two other security agents have been wounded after U.S. forces opened fire on the car they were travelling in shortly after Sregna’s release from captivity.

Multinational Force Iraq officials have stated that the car approached a military check-point at speed at 8:55pm Baghdad time on Friday. Soldiers opened fire on the vehicle, injuring Ms Sgrena and killing one other.

“There was suddenly this shooting, we were hit by a hail of gunfire, and I was speaking with Nicola, who was telling me about what had been happening in Italy in the meantime, when he leaned towards me, probably also to protect me. And then he collapsed and I realised that he was dead,” Ms. Sgrena told Italy’s RAI radio.

She said the shooting continued “because the driver wasn’t even managing to explain that we were Italian.”

When questioned if the car was going too fast as it approached the U.S. troops, she said: “We weren’t going particularly fast given that type of situation.”

Ms Sgrena was given medical care by Coalition Forces medical personnel for a superficial wound to her shoulder. Her left-wing newspaper, Il Manifesto, claimed that the bullet had previously passed through the body of Calipari.

The Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, has demanded an explanation for the shooting. President Bush told Mr Berlusconi during a telephone call that there would be a full investigation, and offered his apologies.

Helicopter design pioneers like Arthur Young and Stanley Hiller always long ago that helicopters are often used as a vehicle to transport workers in the future. However, a small and simple private aircraft is even more important, helicopters, which are not only profitable but also require a lower operational cost. A small propeller airplane is more popular than a small helicopter with complicated control mechanisms. Helicopters are not only expensive, but higher costs and insurance.

Stanley Hiller helicopters, the biggest advocate of personal helicopters built a prototype private helicopter with coaxial rotor, and has also contributed to more conventional helicopters to reduce costs for citizens. Another aviation pioneer, Frank Robinson, the most popular passenger Robinson R22 helicopter. R22 is a simple design in the same cabin of the exhaust pipe of the conventional screw tail, and works in or 124 hp Lycoming “320 engine in both lobes. While the R22 has a higher average number of accidents, but it was approved by the Federal Aviation Safety Administration. Used for light work tools such as cattle, traffic monitoring, agricultural spraying and police surveillance. However, R44, R22 is an improved version of a bigger engine and more reliable than the basic model.

Tourism as an aircraft, some helicopters are built from kits, which a person can buy a mounting kit and the party itself, which dramatically lowers the cost of the helicopters. The helicopter is a popular amateur-built in the U.S. has sold girocóptero Bens B-8. Another common way a helicopter built from a kit Sportscopter America’s first ultralight helicopter Ultra Sport 254, and 333rd RotorWay Scorpion133 Dragon Flight

Although there are many small helicopters built by various manufacturers in the U.S. could not compete with the helicopters flying light aircraft, which are not only easier to fly but cheaper to maintain.